For as long as we've lived in our house, we have always called the dirt floor portion of our basement, the dungeon.
Dad has been threatening to dig out our basement for years and mom has been telling him that it's just fine the way it is - she knew that it would be MAJOR work!
This stone thing in the picture is the support for the 3 fireplaces above on the first floor. The brick work is non-supporting and is coming out so we'll be able to walk through underneath. The cubby forms a coal bin that the families before us used. We have never burned coal since we've lived here.
Our mason, Vincent and his two helpers, along with mom and dad, have been digging out the basement so that they can pour concrete. The dirt dungeon floor will be a thing of the past.
Because the staircase comes down onto the dirt floor, it had to be partially removed so that the cement could flow underneath it. Dad will scab it back together when concrete floor is in and a new staircase will be in the works soon.
As you can well imagine, all of this digging is hard work and pretty boring. Mom and dad were soooooooo hoping to find a trunk full of hidden money or maybe an antique bottle or something to make this job more inspiring.
What mom did find was an "R B White Metal" fish serving knife. She originally thought that it might be a pie server but she googled it and she thinks now that it's a fish serving knife.
It was black with tarnish and she's been cleaning it up. It will never touch our food but it's our only find so it's a treasure for sure.
You're probably wondering what we were doing with all of the dirt that came out of the basement. We're lining our brook with it. The storms that we've had in the past make our babbling brook flow like a raging river and it's eating our property so we've put some of it back.
This is Vincent. He's using his transit to level the dirt floor in preparation for the cement pour.
The next morning, the concrete truck arrives.
They opened a window so that the concrete could travel inside to the basement through this chute.
Vincent put plastic and re-rod down on the dirt floor. It will be underneath the cement floor. He says we may never have to use our dehumidifier again in the summer. We shall see!
Here comes the concrete!
The concreted fills the wheelbarrows and Vincent's helpers move it to where it's needed and they dump it and spread it. It's hard heavy work!
Yes, he is walking through the concrete.
They're getting there!
It's looking great!
Vincent says we only have to wait overnight before we can walk on it!
How cool! We're going to have pretty much a brand new basement and no more scary dungeon ever again!
We were never allowed in the basement. Maybe that will change soon~
So until next time...........
Love ya lots,
Mitch and Molly
